Thoughts He Never Knew
by kimminem31208
Summary: Shampoo has been messing with potions again but things don't go as planned. Ranma will learn things about everybody that gives him a new perspective. R&A pairing. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

I truly enjoy Ranma 1/2 and do not wish to offend anyone with this story. I am writing this purely for enjoyment and the hope that others will also enjoy my work. All character belong solely to the original author and I claim no part of them.

I would also like to acknowledge the fact that the original inspiration for this story came from the story 'Sharing Thoughts' by MZephyr. This is in no way an attempt to offend afformentioned author, and if I have done so I am truly sorry.

**Cat Cafe**

Shampoo smiled triumphantly as she stirred her newest potion.

"Great-Grandmother out today. She no knows anything about too too good plan." Shampoo wickedly spoke to herself. "Shampoo knows Airen no mean those things he says and now Shampoo get proof."

Unbeknownst to her, Moose sat quietly outside the door of the kitchen. He knew the potion she was making. He still could not believe that even after Jusendeo, Shampoo still thought that Ranma loved her. This potion would do her no good. It was obvious to everyone else that Ranma and Akane truly loved each other, even if they still had a problem admitting it to one another.

Though changes in their behavior were apparent to everyone. Their fights had become more playful or flirtatious in nature. The use of the terms 'tomboy' and 'baka' were now said without venom or animosity, it was more like they were pet names they had for each other. Sure they still argued, but they never let it get to the extremes it used to. Akane hadn't pulled her mallet out in three months and with the other fiancés staying away from Ranma, it was easier to just be themselves.

Mousse had observed the changes in their behavior. He had been there. He had heard, first hand, the anguish in Ranma's voice when he thought Akane was gone for good. Anyone with half a heart could almost feel the pain radiating from Ranma's aura. However palpable the pain had been, it was nothing compared to the relief and love that sprang forth when she spoke his name and brushed away some of his tears.

Mousse blended into the wall behind him as Shampoo ran past to answer the telephone. He was a very good Martial Artist, but he had hoped to win Shampoo's love through genuine affection, not some ancient law. Shampoo had no idea that most of the tricks she had tried to use on Ranma were deliberately sabotaged by Mousse. He quickly proceeded into the kitchen and dumped a few extra magical herbs into the bubbling potion.

"There those will turn a mind reading potion into nothing more than a harmless broth." Mousse smugly sauntered back out of the room, pleased with himself.

He had never worried about being caught by Shampoo, but Cologne was another matter. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that she finally caught him. Surprisingly enough she hadn't said or done anything to him at the time. She later pulled him aside while Shampoo was out on a delivery and told him why.

**Flashback**

"_I have known for quite some time that it was you ruining Shampoo's plans." Cologne told him as he followed her into the kitchen upon her request._

"_Forgive me elder, but you do not seem upset by my actions." Mousse hesitantly replied._

"_Mousse, I knew from the very beginning that young Akane Tendo already had the heart of Ranma." Her voice deepened, showing her years. "Upon seeing them together it was obvious."_

"_Then why have you been helping Shampoo?" Mousse asked._

"_Our ways and our people are dying out; I had to have some excuse to come here." Cologne answered truthfully. "I wanted Shampoo to experience the outside world. She needs to be able to adept to these changing times. I cannot see our people lasting unless we finally accept that things have got to change."_

_Mousse was shocked. Cologne was a Matriarch of Joketsuzoku and the Matriarchs had always fought against any change. Most of them, in Mousse's opinion, still lived in the Middle Ages. They wanted nothing to do with the outside world, unless it directly affected them. Mousse was smart enough not to say any of this, but he was sure his jaw was almost to floor._

"_I know it maybe strange to hear me saying any of this, but it is true. I have not been around for close to three hundred years for nothing you know." Cologne smiled thinly at the awed expression on Mousse's face, but then her face shifted back to a more neutral countenance. "I also cannot be mad at you for something I myself have been doing."_

_Mousse's jaw really did hit the floor at this admission along with the rest of his head._

_Cologne cackled heartily at the boy's surprise. "What you thought you were the only one. I admit I didn't start sabotaging her efforts until after I saw the Neko-ken, but since then I was certain we did not want that boy as a part of our tribe." Cologne once again became very solemn. "He was a force to be reckoned with back then and he has only become more powerful since. I know that I helped train him in a few things, but those techniques were necessary to help unlock even more of his potential. If it wasn't for him holding back so much on all of us now… I dare not even think about it."_

"_What do you mean 'holding back'?" Mousse said indignantly. He knew Saotome was an excellent fighter, but he never believed he was good enough to scare an elder._

"_Mousse, Ranma has only shown a fraction of his true power once and that was just recently. You were there you seen what he did to Saffron. I have only heard stories of it from you and Shampoo. Do you honestly think that you are anywhere near his level?" Cologne inquired with grim certainty written all over her face._

"…" _Was the only thing coming from Mousse, he still could not fully comprehend what he was being told._

"_The only things stopping him from going all out are his self-control and his want to not seriously hurt anybody. I had hoped that Shampoo was not foolish enough to continue pushing him any further, but this is a lesson she must learn on her own. I only pray that when that time comes, he will be merciful."_

**End Flashback**

Mousse had left the building before Shampoo came back to the kitchen. He hadn't noticed that Shampoo's delivery box was already on the counter with the compartment door shut. A bowl of spiked ramen along with the rest of Kasumi's order inside. Shampoo had marked the bowl of spiked ramen by placing green chopsticks on top of it. The rest of the chopsticks were blue or orange.

Shampoo prepared herself a bowl of what she thought was spiked ramen, and ingested it before closing the Cat Café to go make her delivery. She didn't know her own bowl was now nothing more than a regular bowl of ramen.

"After Airen eat Ramen, tomorrow we know everything everybody thinking." Shampoo hopped on her bike and headed for the Tendo Dojo. "Now Airen will now how much Shampoo love him and Shampoo will know how much he love me."

**Tendo Dojo**

Since returning from China and after the failed wedding, things had settled down considerably. Ranma and Akane had been getting along better than they ever had before. They were actually spending time together and they hadn't had a serious fight in two and a half months. They had given up hiding the fact that they were closer than ever before. They really had no reason to hide anymore.

The biggest difference in how their relationship was going though was the lack of suitors. Ranma had verbally attacked all the other supposed fiancés. He made sure Shampoo and Ukyo knew, in no uncertain terms, that their actions were unforgivable. Not only had they destroyed the dojo, but they had put innocent people's lives at risk. Ranma was willing to forgive a lot of things, but endangering people who were unable to defend themselves was not one of them. He told both of them to stay away from him for a good long while and so far they had complied.

The Kuno's had to be bound to chairs so Ranma could confront them and force them to watch as he transformed back and forth twelve times. Kodachi was the first to realize what they were seeing; it took Ranma sitting on the Kuno's lap while he went through the transformation to finally break through his delusions. Kodachi passed out after letting out a piercing wail, Kuno ended up becoming violently ill after Ranma got off his lap in his male form. Sasuke, while they were both still to out of it to remember, took them to a hospital in a neighboring district. After two days of incoherent stuttering, the hospital tried to perform a mental evaluation. Needless to say both failed and were institutionalized. No one really minded the fact they were no longer in the picture.

Cologne had been the next person Ranma confronted that evening. He told her he would no longer tolerate anymore schemes from the Amazons. Cologne had been expecting it to come to this, so she promptly agreed that she would no longer help Shampoo in any way. Cologne had no wish to make an enemy out of someone who had slain a demi-god in single combat. Ranma had asked if she could remove the Kisses of Marriage and Death that Shampoo had already bestowed. Cologne was hesitant before saying she would, but she needed some time before she did, so she asked for some patients from Ranma. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but agreed.

Soun Tendo made it perfectly clear that night that there would not be another wedding until all the other suitors had been dealt with. Genma Saotome had tried to persuade him otherwise, but for once Soun actually put his foot down. He refused to have his house destroyed. Surprisingly enough, Nodoka Saotome had agreed with him. Her house had to be rebuilt not that long ago because of that idiocy, so she understood perfectly.

Another good thing was Nodoka had forced Genma to move back in with her. She was going to try to get Ranma to come too, before two pleading teenagers beseeched her to change her mind. She never revealed that Akane had come to her and begged her not to take Ranma away. Later that night Ranma came to plead his case, but he was astounded when his mother agreed to let him stay without much of a fight.

Kasumi was the biggest bombshell to be dropped. She had actually taken Nabiki aside and yelled at her, after the wedding. Everyone was shocked to say the least. Nabiki, the Ice Queen, actually burst into tears after Kasumi's verbal lashing. Kasumi had forced Nabiki to promise not to interfere in Ranma's and Akane's relationship anymore, and if she found out about anymore pictures or information being sold of the two of them Nabiki would be asked to leave. Nabiki had thrown a pleading look at her father, but he refused to meet her gaze or even speak to her that night. No one knew whether she was crying because of her scolding or the loss of profits she was going to suffer.

Three months after the failed wedding and everything was going great for the young couple. They no longer had to be afraid of spending time together and Ranma was now actively training Akane, not only in Martial Arts but also cooking. The cooking had originally been Kasumi's idea, as a way for them to spend time together without the entire family around. She was very supportive of their newfound closeness. Nabiki still teased her little sister and her fiancé and Genma was constantly trying to cause trouble.

Ranma found that now that Akane was learning to control her temper her cooking wasn't turning out as bad as it used to. Another perk Ranma hadn't foreseen was the first couple of times Akane had tried using a knife with him there, he got to wrap his arms around her to show her how to slowly run the knife through the food without hacking it to pieces. They were both decidedly disappointed when she no longer required that, but neither said anything. Akane was now able to make a half way decent meal; it had only taken two and a half months with her cooking three nights a week. Neither felt the need to tell the family about this development.

Kasumi hadn't been feeling well all day, but she refused to rest. She went about her normal daily routine of cleaning and preparing the meals. By the time she needed to start dinner preparations, she knew she would not have the strength to make the meal. She was still fearful of Akane's cooking because neither of the youngsters had told her about Akane's improvement. She knew that Ranma was still not talking to Ukyo or Shampoo, but the family needed to eat and they were the cheapest places in town.

Kasumi decided having ramen would be the lesser of two evils. She knew Ranma had also confronted Cologne after the failed wedding and that they had come to some sort of agreement. She figured that this agreement would stop Shampoo from trying anything, but to be on the safe side she had Nabiki come out to the front gate with her. She had come to the decision that for the sake of harmony in the house she would not allow Shampoo onto the property.

Shampoo saw her plan crumbling before her as she was met at the gate by two of the Tendo sisters. She tried to act innocent and friendly, but both had stood firm. They took the take out packages, paid for their order, thanked Shampoo for delivering it so quickly, and slammed the gate in her face.

To say that Shampoo was pissed at their abrupt dismissal of her would have been an understatement. Shampoo parked her bike and decided to try and make sure that her Airen got the right bowl. Before she could even prepare to jump to the top of the surrounding fence, a voice issued a warning.

"Come on this property and you will regret it Shampoo. You are still not welcome here. Go Home." The angry tone in Ranma's voice stopped her were she was.

Shampoo still wanted to jump the fence, if only to see her Airen, but something in his voice told her that she had better not. She was still mad that her plan was not going the way she wanted it to, but decided that she could always try again. She had only read enough to know how to make the potion, that there was no antidote, and that it would give the affected the ability to read other people's minds. She had seen that the effects of the potion would only last for six months after comsumption, but she failed to notice the warning at the bottom.

She figured that since she had also taken a dose of the potion she would easily be able to figure out who had taken the other. Even if her Airen had not taken the potion, she would still be able to read his mind, she did not know that the portion she had taken was worthless. She still assumed she would have her way in the end but being the proud Amazon warrior that she was though, she could not let a man have the last word, even if it was her beloved.

"Fine. Shampoo go now. But I no give up. I see you later Airen." Shampoo shouted out quickly. She hopped back on her bike and pedaled off before he could say anything else.

Ranma didn't care what she said. She didn't matter to him. She had tried to kill Akane over in China and because of that she had lost all hope of even being his friend.

He had already decided that Mousse wasn't such a bad guy. He had actually been very helpful in China and he confessed to Ranma that he had been running interference with some of Shampoo's plans. Sabotaging some of her potions wasn't the only thing he had done, he had also warned Ranma about a couple of plans involving magical items. Plus Mousse had been acting rather distantly towards her as of late. He had first noticed his odd behavior on the way home, but it had become even more apparent back here in Japan. He wasn't constantly following her around like he used to.

Ranma knew that some part of Mousse still loved Shampoo, but he had been exposed to a side of her he hadn't seen before and it obviously didn't sit with him very well. Ranma decided to put his thoughts aside for a while. It was dinner time and he could already smell the ramen. He stomach decided to give a rather noisy growl as he headed back to the house.

Kasumi had already set the table and placed a bowl in front of everyone. Ranma dug in with his normal gusto, before being poked in the ribs.

"Gomen." He sheepishly said to the girl sitting next to him.

Akane had been trying to help him learn better table manners but he still had a long way to go.

"It's ok; just try to slow down a bit. You sound like a pig." Akane quietly whispered to him.

"Oink." He playfully replied.

Akane rolled her eyes and returned to eating her own dinner.

Genma heard the banter between his son and his fiancé and leaned over to whisper conspiratorially to Soun. Soun pointedly ignored his friends scheming, but that didn't stop him from talking.

Ranma had already finished his helping, but was still hungry he was about to steal some from his pops bowl, when Kasumi set her untouched bowl in front of him.

"Here Ranma-kun. I am not feeling well and I would hate for this to go to waste." Kasumi whispered to him before running off to the bathroom.

"Thanks Kasumi." He said before tossing aside the lid and unopened set of green chopsticks.

--

In the next Chapter:

Cologne will learn of Shampoo's action. Ranma will discover what has been done to him and what he will have to do to maintain his sanity.


	2. Chapter 2

I truly enjoy Ranma 1/2 and do not wish to offend anyone with this story. I am writing this purely for enjoyment and the hope that others will also enjoy my work. All characters belong solely to the original author and I claim no part of them.

I would also like to thank everyone who wrote a review for the first chapter. Thank You for your advice and for encouraging me to continue.

**Tendo Dojo**

Ranma once again forgot his manners and quickly finished the bowl Kasumi had given him. He didn't want to take the chance of his pop trying to steal it from him. His mom had told him that she was working on his father's table manners, but old habits were hard to get rid of. Ranma need not have worried because his father was still trying to talk to Soun.

"But it's been three months now and none of the others have dared to stop by. Don't you think it's time we start planning another wedding." Genma was whispering to his friend.

The sound of Nodoka sword being pulled from its sheath finally quieted him.

"Husband, what have we discussed?" Nodoka sternly questioned her husband.

"Stupid Pops." Ranma muttered under his breath. Akane simply sent a glare Genma's way.

"…" Genma wasn't given the proper time to answer as Soun interjected.

"I understand your eagerness Saotome. I would also like to see them wed." Soun firmly replied. "But I refuse to put my family or any one else in danger again. I grant you that the 'others' have not been around lately, but I believe it safe to assume that if word got around that we were planning another wedding it would result in much of the same." Soun finished his statement on a slightly sour note.

"But…" Genma quickly tried to protest.

"Genma. I too would like to see our son wed, but the, 'others' as Soun said, must be dealt with first." Nodoka stated bringing an end to Genma's attempts for the evening. "On that note, Ranma. Have you thought of any ways in which we could bring an end to some of this madness?"

"Huh… not really. No." Ranma stuttered in reply.

"Well as far as I am concerned, the only real problem you have to deal with is choosing a fiancé. There's that Amazon girl, Ukyo Kuonji, and Akane." Nodoka said, deciding to make her opinions heard. "That Kuno girl was never an applicable choice and besides I heard that she will be in that institution for quite some time."

"Thank Kami. That girl was nothin' but a lunatic. I never would've married her any way." Ranma quickly agreed. He saw his mom quickly nod her head.

"As far as that Amazon girl goes, I have to admit I would really rather not have her for a daughter-in-law." Nodoka stated. She couldn't see that girl being a suitable match for her son, particularly with the way her culture viewed men.

"Don't worry bout her. I ain't got any intention of ever marryin' Shampoo. I just don't know how to get that fact through her thick skull." Ranma stated point blank. "She ain't got any respect for human life. Her opinion is if yer in her way yer an obstacle. And she is always sayin 'obstacles are for killing'. I honestly can't stand her anymore."

Ranma knew that he no longer had to worry about Shampoo. Cologne had told him she would remove the Kiss of Marriage from himself, and the Kiss of Death from Akane, but she had asked for time. He didn't know if she had as of yet informed Shampoo of this. Judging from the stilted communication between himself and Shampoo earlier, he would be willing to bet Cologne hadn't told her yet. He had told everyone about Cologne agreeing to no more tricks, but he was waiting until she removed the kisses before he said anything else.

"Well I'm sure we will be able to come up with something to get rid of her. Now, as far as Ukyo Kuonji is concerned, between her actions at the wedding and her assistance in destroying my house, our debt for her stolen dowry is paid. However the issue of honor is still present. Not only hers but ours as well. There is, going to be a loss of honor, unless we find a suitable way to deal with it."

Ranma and Akane just hung their heads. Both still considered Ukyo a friend even after what she had done.

Ranma really didn't want to hurt his old friend, but he agreed with his mother. Besides he had never really thought of marrying Ukyo, he still had a hard time thinking of her as a girl. He had to admit he did care for her, but it was more like caring for a sibling. He couldn't see himself ever, feeling any other way towards her.

Nodoka had seen the pained yet guarded look pass over her son's face. She knew that Ranma had a difficult childhood and because of that he had more enemies than friends. She was sure he considered some of his more tenacious enemies, such as Ryoga and Mousse, friends. They had after all been on many adventures together and those boys had always been willing to help him, provided it did not conflict with their own personal interests. Because of the way he had been raised, he valued his relationships with these people and was desperate to keep them, despite everything else.

Nodoka sighed quietly before continuing. "I understand that Ukyo was your friend before she became one of your fiancés, and you do not wish to cause her anymore pain. However, when you make your decision it is going to cause pain to the girl that is not chosen no matter what you do. I do not see how it can be avoided. Pain and heartbreak are a part of life. Everything we go through shapes us into the people we were meant to become."

"I know mom, but I really need some time." Ranma replied solemnly.

"That's acceptable." Nodoka said. "My only concern is your happiness, but you are almost an adult. It is time you start thinking about your future and what you want out of life."

"Yeah, I know." Ranma resignedly sighed.

Nodoka sympathized with her son; none of this was really his doing. She knew he didn't like to hurt people, especially girls. She had been a teenager once so she knew what it was like to break someone's heart or to have your own heart broken. She would support her son with whomever he chose, but she was secretly rooting for Akane. She had seen the way her son looked at the young woman when he thought no one was looking. Akane may be hot headed, but Nodoka knew her son needed a strong woman who would challenge him. She could already see that woman in Akane; she only hoped her son could too.

"Well I am sure you will eventually come to a decision." She replied encouragingly to her son before shifting a glare at her husband. "But until then, Genma, you will not try to plan any more weddings. Is that perfectly clear." Nodoka spoke with a large amount of steel in her voice.

Genma visibly flinched from his wife's cold tone. "Yes dear."

"Hmmph." Ranma tried to stifle his amusement; he knew his mom could keep his pop from causing any more trouble.

He listened as the parents started discussing something else amongst them, but he really wasn't paying attention. His mom had made some good points, now he just needed to figure out what he wanted.

Ranma was grateful that his mom and Soun were backing off on trying to rush him and Akane. Ranma realized that he still had a lot of lingering issues that needed to be taken care of. The forerunner on his list was figuring out his feelings for Akane. They were finally getting along and starting to make some progress in their relationship, but he wasn't sure were that progress would lead and he didn't want anyone trying to 'jump the gun again'.

Since the whole fiancé business had begun he had only ever called Akane his real fiancé, even he didn't know why though. Ranma knew he cared deeply for her, but he wanted to have the chance to explore his feelings. He wasn't sure he even knew what love really was, he had been raised by Genma after all. He remembered the pain he had felt in his chest when he thought Akane was dead. At the time he wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling. He could clearly remember the void that seemed to be filling him as she lay there, unresponsive in his arms. A haunted look passed over his face as the memory replayed itself.

_**Flashback**_

"_Akane, can you hear me?" Ranma quietly whispered to the girl lying motionless in his arms. His vision was becoming slightly blurred as tears formed in his eyes. "I want to tell you something."_

_Ranma wasn't sure how to put what he was feeling into words. He had never felt this kind of pain before. Sure they both fought constantly, but they were also always there for each other. She had become an important part of his life, but now…_

"_Please… be able to hear me Akane…" Ranma felt his throat constrict as tears started falling down his grimy cheeks._

_He wanted to express his feelings for her, but didn't know the right words to use. She had been there for him, even when he didn't want her to be. She had often tried to lend him moral support, though that normally lead to an argument because of his pride. There had been several times when she had tried to sacrifice herself for him, and he had never thanked her. Now she was gone and she would never know how much he really did appreciate her._

_/I Love You! / The thought was screaming through his head, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, especially since he wasn't sure if it was true. _

"_AKANE!" His anguish filled voiced cried out her name as a fresh wave of tears began pouring down his face. He didn't even try to wipe them away or stop them; he just wanted the pain to go away._

_**End Flashback**_

Ranma grimaced as the memory replayed itself and glanced at the girl sitting next to him. That scene continued to haunt his nightmares. He wasn't sure why he had thought about telling her he loved her; it had seemed right at the time, but looking back he couldn't help but wonder if it was the possibility of losing her forever or if he really felt that way about her. Maybe the first thing he should do is figure out what love really is.

Akane was lost in her own thoughts, so she never noticed when Ranma looked over at her. Akane was certain that she loved Ranma but she didn't know how he felt. She wasn't sure if she was ready to confess the full depths of her feelings to him either. She had thought he wanted to marry her until she found out the truth about what their fathers had done. Was she ready for marriage though? Did he even want to be with her and not one of the other girls?

Sure he had already made it clear he would never marry Shampoo, so she wasn't really a rival for Ranma's affections. Ranma had told everyone about his discussion with Cologne. She got the feeling Ranma wasn't telling the whole story, but she wasn't worried about it. At least Cologne had agreed to not allow Shampoo to try and pull anymore tricks on either of them. That actually made her feel a little better, she had always been afraid that one of them might have worked. She gave a small satisfied sigh at the thought of not having to worry about being poisoned.

Akane knew Ranma cared for her, but she didn't know in what way. The biggest concern left was Ukyo. She had been Ranma's friend long before he ever came to Nermia. She feared that one day she would confess her feelings to Ranma only to be laughed at and have him turn around and leave with Ukyo.

Akane wanted him to be happy though, she felt he deserved it. She resolved that no matter what his decision was, when he made it she would support him. Despite her new resolve her heart still felt like breaking at the mere thought of him not being a part of her life.

"Y' alright Akane?" Ranma quietly asked her, low enough so hopefully no one else would hear. It wasn't like her to be this quiet for so long.

She looked straight into his piercing blue eyes for a brief moment, but couldn't hold the gaze. She knew her feelings would clearly show on her face, they did most of the time. She didn't want him to see the internal conflict her emotions were going through.

"Yeah, just thinking." Akane replied, hoping he wouldn't inquire further.

Ranma could hear the sadness in her voice, but didn't know why it was there and didn't think this was the proper place to ask either. So he just shrugged and pretended to go back to listening to everyone else's conversations, while he tried to make some sense of his own confused thoughts.

**Cat Café**

Cologne had arrived back at the café. She had spent a grueling day renewing the visas of the three Amazons. At first she was upset that the restaurant was closed to customers when she got there, but gave a disheartened sigh when she realized why. Mousse still refused to work alone with Shampoo, which meant if a delivery had to be made no one would be here to serve the customers.

Cologne knew Mousse was still uneasy around Shampoo. He was having a hard time believing how low she had sunk since her time here in Japan. She was chasing after a man, who clearly had no feelings towards her, as though she were nothing more than a love sick puppy. Plus her actions in China had been completely beneath her heritage. She was willing to kill Akane, even though Akane had no way to defend herself.

Cologne had noticed his unwillingness to be alone with her anymore, though it used to be his fondest wish. Mousse had shown Shampoo that he had become her superior in skills and since then, he had been spending more and more time away from the café and away from Shampoo. When he was forced to be in the same room with her he would not speak to her but choose instead to ignore her. Cologne remembered the first time he had chosen to ignore her granddaughter; it was also when he showed Shampoo that she could no longer control him as she once had. She had been watching them through the serving window between the kitchen and the dining area.

_**Flashback**_

"_Duck-boy go get mop. Customer spill drink on floor. You need to clean." Shampoo scathingly shouted to Mousse. _

_Mousse simply turned away and continued talking to the customer he was serving. Shampoo had assumed he would heed her demand when he was finished with his own task. Men in her village had always been subservient, and Mousse normally did whatever she wanted him to._

_Shampoo was amazed and enraged when half an hour later Mousse still had yet to clean up the mess a clumsy customer had made._

"_Mousse. Shampoo tell you clean up mess. Why you no do?" Shampoo had once again shouted at him, her volatile temper making itself known._

_Again Mousse ignored her and went about his own work. Shampoo was furious at being ignored twice and stomped over to him. She was prepared to beat the hell out of him. First her Airen had yelled at her a week ago and now Mousse was ignoring her. This is something she would not stand for. She was an Amazon and a man like Mousse needed to be shown his place, plus she was more than ready to vent her frustrations._

"_AIYAH!" Shampoo's war cry rang through the small restaurant._

_Mousse simply captured her fist in his larger hand and pushed her away from him. The unexpected move caught Shampoo off guard and when he pushed her away she fell onto her backside. She stared up at him confoundedly. Mousse had never taken any action against her. She always thought he was weaker and less skilled than she was. That moved had proved her wrong. Not only was he faster than her, but he was a lot stronger than he looked._

_Cologne had heard Shampoo's cry from in the kitchen. She had watched as Shampoo tried to order Mousse around like she had always done before, and she had also seen how he had blatantly ignored her. Cologne decided her presence could be of some us between the two teenagers. She came out just in time to see the end of the show. She had known Mousse was better than Shampoo, even if he never showed it._

_Shampoo turned her shocked expression to her grandmother. "G-Great G-Grandmother…"_

"_Mousse you know an Amazon male is not allowed to hit an Amazon female." Cologne said, playing the role of a normal elder._

_She had seen that Mousse had not actually struck her granddaughter, merely stopped her fist and pushed her away. If she played her cards right, this would be one of the lessons her granddaughter needed to so desperately learn. Never assume anything about your opponent. _

"_I did not strike her. I simply stopped her from hitting me and from causing any damage to the café." Mousse stated plainly, he knew the laws and what he had done was not worthy of punishment. He also knew Cologne had seen what had happened; he had heard her come into the room._

"_Well there is nothing that says you can't stop an attack. Continue with your work." Cologne stated with finality before glancing over at her granddaughter. "Shampoo get up off the floor. You have customers waiting and you need to clean that mess up from underneath your table. I will have no more foolishness right now; it is almost time for the dinner rush."_

_**End Flashback**_

Cologne still chuckled a little at the expression she remembered seeing on her granddaughter's face when the issue was dismissed and she was forced to clean up her own mess for once.

Cologne hopped into the kitchen and noticed her potion book lying on the counter. She became worried when she noticed the page the book was open to.

"Dammit Shampoo. I told that damn girl no more magic." Cologne was seething.

"I don't think you have to worry about it working. I managed to neutralize it while she was on the phone. She went out for a delivery to the Tendos shortly after that." A voice behind her said.

"Are you sure you managed to neutralize all of it Mousse." Cologne asked the boy who had just entered through the side door.

Mousse noticed the worried tone in the elder's voice. "I'm pretty sure I got all of it, but I was in kind of a hurry. I didn't want her to catch me. But what has you so worried elder."

"This potion can be very dangerous Mousse. It gives a person the ability to read others minds and it allows them to feel what others are feeling. It essentially turns the affected into an empath as well as a telepath." Cologne replied hesitantly.

"Why is that so bad? I don't see how reading someone else's mind could be dangerous. And what's an empath any way?" Mousse questioned.

"An empathic person has the ability to feel the emotions of the people around them. They are uniquely attuned to people's feelings. They will know exactly what someone is going through because they will experience their feelings." Cologne answered sharply, surprised by the boy's ignorance.

"I still do not understand why this is a bad thing or how it could be dangerous." Mousse had a confused look on his face, showing he didn't fully comprehend what the elder had just said.

"Fool, the potion does not allow you to pick and choose whose mind and feelings they will hear and feel. The person will hear all the thoughts and feel all the feelings of everyone, within a certain distance, around them. If the person does not learn the ability to control what they are hearing and feeling it can and will drive them insane. The worst part is there is no antidote and the potion's effects last for six months." Cologne explained, while silently praying he had managed to destroy the potion before it could be used.

"…" Mousse was speechless. He couldn't believe Shampoo would use a potion like that. He was seriously beginning to rethink ever calling her intelligent.

Upon her return, Shampoo had seen her great-grandmother and Mousse talking through the window in the kitchen door. She knew she had forgotten the potion book on the counter and her grandmother had discovered what she had been up to. She tried to turn around and leave before she was spotted, but her grandmother had already seen her.

"Shampoo! I specifically told you, you where no longer allowed to use magic, didn't I?" Cologne bore into her granddaughter.

"Yes." Shampoo said staring down at the floor.

"Why did you disobey me?" Cologne asked.

"Shampoo wanted Airen to know how she feel about him and wanted to know how he feel about me." Shampoo despondently answered. She didn't want to explain herself, but she knew her grandmother would not take no for an answer.

"Does that mean you also took the potion?" Cologne could not believe the stupidity of her heir.

"Yes." Shampoo quietly answered.

"Shampoo when did you eat a portion of the potion?" Cologne was seriously afraid for her granddaughter; she doubted her ability to learn the control needed to keep her sanity.

"Right before I leave to make delivery to Airen." Shampoo wasn't sure why her grandmother wanted to know when she had taken the potion, but was to fearful of her grandmother's wrath to ask.

"Before or after you answered the phone?" Cologne was hoping for the best, but trying not to let it show.

"How you know Shampoo…" Shampoo knew her grandmother had not been in the café all day, and she wondered how she knew she had answered the phone.

"That does not matter. Answer my question, now." Cologne demanded clearly showing her distress.

"After. Shampoo had just finished putting Airen's in delivery box when phone rang. Have to eat hers after answered phone." Shampoo responded quickly not wanting to further anger her grandmother.

Cologne silently thanked the Kami for small favors. At least Shampoo had not managed to eat the potion herself, but now she had to figure out what other damage could possibly have been done. Most of Shampoo's plans failed because of tampering or bad luck. It was looking like mere tampering had not be enough in this case.

"Did son-in-law eat his portion already?" Cologne was sure he would be able to learn the control needed, if he had been the one to get the potion.

"Shampoo no know. Tendo sisters not let me in the house. I not sure if Airen get potion like supposed to or not." Shampoo truthfully responded.

"How did you know which bowl was which if you took over an order for the whole family?" This piece of information was vital in determining who had ingested the potion.

"Shampoo tape green chopsticks to top of bowl. The others have blue or orange." Shampoo was becoming more confused as her grandmother continued to question her.

Cologne knew this could be bad. She doubted her heir realized the dangers involved with this particular potion. She didn't say anything to Shampoo as she turned around and grabbed the chest containing her magic herbs. "Mousse please keep these on you. I don't want her being tempted again."

"Of course elder." Mousse quickly tucked the chest into the vastness of his robes.

Grabbing a glass of water sitting next to the stove, she turned around and threw the contents on Shampoo. She quickly grabbed the small purple cat and stuffed her into a nearby cage. "I will deal with you when we get back, but for now think about the severity of your disobedience."

Cologne and Mousse left the yowling Shampoo and headed towards the Tendo's home.

"I fear we may already be to late, but I will do what I can to help the poor victim of Shampoo's negligence." Cologne told Mousse as they ran.

"Saotome is not going to be happy about this." Mousse stated plainly.

"I know." Cologne was already fearing what Ranma might do when he was told what had happened. She had made a promise to the boy and her idiot heir was once again stirring up trouble. She silently wondered if one of the older sisters had managed to get the potion. They were already very capable of controlling their emotions so teaching them would not be as difficult as trying to teach Akane or either of the other two buffoons.

**Tendo Dojo**

Nabiki had been listening to the conversation, but nothing had peeked her interest until Nodoka mentioned her feelings towards Ukyo. She quickly started forming a plan where she would be the one to tell Ukyo what was said. Before her plan could even come together fully, she had a flashback to Kasumi's warning.

_**Flashback**_

"_Nabiki Tendo, I am very disappointed in you." Kasumi started in on her._

_Nabiki had never heard Kasumi use this tone of voice. Normally she was sweet and very soft spoken, but now her voice was dripping venom and disapproval._

"_What were you thinking inviting all those lunatics to your baby sister's wedding?" Kasumi continued ignoring the shocked look on her sister's face._

_Nabiki quickly tried to mold her features back to their normal look of indifference before answering. "I don't see the problem. They all paid me very well and they all brought gifts, even if some of their gifts exploded."_

"_I cannot believe you could be so cruel and heartless. This was Akane's wedding and you purposely ruined it. Why?" Kasumi asked not wanting to believe her own flesh and blood could be so vindictive._

"_I did Akane a favor." Nabiki could feel her anger beginning to boil below the surface. "Do you actually think she wanted to marry that insensitive prick? The only reason she agreed to go through with this was to get him the damn cure for his curse. And then what, do you think he would have stuck around?"_

"_How can you be so blind, you the girl who's supposed to know everything? I've been able to see how much they really care for each other for a while now. Are you honestly telling me that you couldn't?" Kasumi practically shouted in her face. "Ranma would never leave Akane. You've seen them together, you've seen the lengths they go to too make each other happy or to protect each other."_

_Nabiki was no longer trying to mask her feelings, her anger clearly shown on her face. "Yeah well then why are they always fighting? He does nothing but degrade and insult her, how is that making her happy?"_

"_Akane does the same thing to him, she beats him with that mallet of hers constantly even though I asked her to stop. Yet do you see either one of them giving up on each other, No! The only reason they are constantly at each others throats is because they are continuously being manipulated by everyone around them. Every time they have even tried to start showing a little affection around one another the fathers or you come along and ruin it. The fathers immediately start talking about weddings and you try and find some way of blackmailing them. You tell me, how they are supposed to act when you do that." Kasumi spat right back in her face._

"…" _Nabiki didn't have time to come up with something to shout back at her._

"_Not to mention all those other suitors constantly showing up and causing trouble. If they would just look at the two of them together, when they are not fighting, those suitors would see that none of them have a chance of separating those two." Nabiki had never heard Kasumi say anything with such conviction before and it was unnerving to say the least, she dared not interrupt. "And you continually feed their delusions by selling those pictures and the information about every move Akane and Ranma make. Plus you are constantly leading those suitors to speculate on what they might be doing hasn't helped matters either. If anyone has been the biggest hindrance to them getting together it would be you."_

_Nabiki had never thought about all the trouble she caused for her baby sister and her fiancé. She honestly thought they wanted nothing to do with one another, but looking back on some of the things Kasumi was saying she could see a lot of it was true. It may be true but Nabiki was not about to let any one try and tell her what to do._

"_Well all that money I was making off those delusional fools was paying for the constant repairs needed around here plus the added expense of feeding more people." Nabiki smugly retorted. _

_She figured Kasumi wouldn't even realize that her endeavors brought in way more revenue than what was needed to keep the house running smoothly. She was starting to let a small smug smile grace her lips when Kasumi knocked the wind right out of her sails._

"_Nabiki don't even try and con me. I know you were making a lot more money than what you were sinking into the house even with the added expenses." Kasumi easily replied, but her tone was still harsh. "Plus Mr. Saotome was making more than enough money to cover the cost of food for himself and his son. I'll admit our repair bill has been higher than it ever was before, but you and I both know its nothing that couldn't have easily been handled without the money provided from those other idiots."_

_Nabiki was thoroughly stunned. Her sister, who she thought was completely oblivious, had just shown that she was a lot better informed then anybody knew. She knew her sister wasn't as dense as some people thought, but she would never have guessed how observant she really was. Kasumi had also never been this cold to anyone before. Nabiki now knew that she had no chance of winning this argument, she had been caught red handed with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar._

"_I always knew you were greedy and ruthless, but I never thought you would stoop as low as you have." Kasumi contemptuously informed her. "The only thing I really don't understand is why you felt the need to make poor Akane and Ranma suffer so much. What did they ever do to you?"_

_Nabiki frankly had no real answer for that and she knew telling her sister that they had just made easy targets would only serve to infuriate her more than she already was. _

"_This is your last chance. If I so much as hear a rumor about you selling anymore pictures or information about Ranma and Akane, I won't hesitate to throw you and your money grubbing ways out of this house. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Kasumi's voice had deadpanned leaving all feelings behind as she informed her sister of her decision._

_Nabiki had looked straight into Kasumi's eyes and seen that there was not going to be any chance of changing her mind on this matter. She darted her gaze over to the only other person in the room at the moment, but her father had refused to look or acknowledge her presence all evening. Her father's complete lack of comment sealed the deal._

"_Yes." Nabiki reluctantly agreed allowing a few tears to leak down her cheeks. Kasumi had made her feel horrible about herself, something no one else had ever been able to do._

"_Good. Now I need to go make dinner." Kasumi ended on a slightly less bitter note before turning away from her sister and going into the kitchen._

_**End Flashback**_

Nabiki decided for her own good to just let her current thoughts die away. She did not want to see how far Kasumi was willing to go with her promise. She glanced around the room hoping to distract herself somehow. She noticed Kasumi was nowhere to be seen.

"Hate to interrupt, but has anyone seen where Kasumi went?" Nabiki said trying to sound as indifferently as possible. "I remember her sitting down beside me before dinner, but I haven't seen her since."

"The last time I seen her, she was handing me her bowl of ramen, sayin' she wasn't feeling good and didn't want it ta go ta waste." Ranma deferentially informed everybody.

"I'm going to go see if she's ok." Akane stood up and headed out of the room.

Nabiki watched as Ranma's eyes followed Akane's departing form, but chose not to comment on it. Just as Akane was no longer in sight there was a knock at the front door. Nabiki got up to answer it. She was very surprised to see the two people standing before her.

"Can I help you?" Nabiki asked sarcastically.

"I know that we are not welcome here but I must speak with everyone in your house. My heir has been up to her tricks whilst I was away today and I wish to try and help deal with the problem she may have caused." Cologne smoothly replied, schooling her features to look as normal as possible.

Nabiki just shook her head and stepped aside. "Come in."

The trio walked into the dining room quietly.

"Elder Cologne. Might I ask what has brought you to our home this evening?" Soun suspiciously asked.

"First I wish to apologize. During my absence today my granddaughter saw fit to break into my room and steal my magical herbs. While I was gone she made a potion and I believe one of you have ingested it." Cologne apologetically replied.

"Oh." Was Soun's response but it was overshadowed by Ranma's angry retort.

"Damn it! What the hell has she gone and done this time?" Ranma was furious, he thought he had made it perfectly clear to Shampoo and Cologne that he wanted Shampoo to quit using any of her tricks.

Cologne quickly looked down at the table and noticed two bowls in front of Ranma, their lids lying discarded beside them. On one of the lids laid the pair of unused green chopsticks. Once again she thanked the Kami for small favors. If Akane had eaten the potion, Ranma surely would have sought retribution. Cologne believed Akane would not have been able learn the control needed considering her already violent temper, and because of that she would have lost her mind.

"Please calm down son-in-law." Cologne pleaded, using her old nickname for the boy.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT. I ain't NEVER gonna marry Shampoo, don't you get that." Ranma forcefully yelled at Cologne.

"Alright young Ranma, I will no longer call you by that name. But I would like to speak with you, in private if I may." Cologne requested. "It would appear that you may have been the one to ingest the potion, if you did in fact consume the bowl with the green chopsticks taped to the lid."

Ranma looked down at the two lids he had discarded earlier; sure enough there was a pair of unused green chopsticks. "At least no one else is gonna have ta suffer through whatever Shampoo did."

Ranma knew that the lid with the chopsticks on it had been on the bowl Kasumi had given him. Not that he wanted her to be sick but he was glad she had a least managed not to get poisoned because of her illness.

"I need to inform you of a few things concerning this potion." Cologne said as politely as possible. "I can either do so here, in front of everyone or in private. It is your choice."

"Will the effects of the potion make me wanna do anythin' to anyone else." Ranma had enough experience with Shampoo's potions to know that they usual had a side effect of him trying to grab someone, namely her.

"No. This potion will not cause you to do anything 'physical' that you do not wish to do, but I believe it would be best if we were to discuss what it will do in private." Cologne answered cryptically.

Ranma knew Cologne was keeping something from him, that much was obvious from her obscure answer. He had a nagging feeling that he wasn't going to like what she had to say, but he was smart enough to know that he should listen to her and that he may need her help.

"Fine. Let's go out to the dojo." Ranma bitingly consented.

**Ucchans**

Ukyo was furiously scrubbing a stubborn spot on the top of her grill. The lunch rush had ended not that long ago and she needed to get things in order for the dinner rush. She glanced around her restaurant. The late afternoon sunlight was filtering in through the front windows and the air smelled of okonomiyaki and the cleansers she and Konatsu were using.

Business had been going well as usual, it just seemed like the rest of her life was falling apart. Ukyo stopped her scrubbing as she began to think about the last three months. Ranma honey hadn't talked to her, not since the wedding she helped bomb. Ukyo had tried to talk to him during school, but he would just turn away and refuse to even acknowledge her. At first Akane had ignored her too, but now she would at least say 'hi' in the mornings.

Ukyo knew Ranma was mad at her, not for ruining the wedding, but for endangering innocent lives and causing major property damage. He had told her that there was a right way and a wrong way to have stopped the wedding, and she had chosen the wrong way.

Ukyo shook her head to clear away the memory of him yelling at her. She didn't have time for that right now.

"Konatsu, once your done cleaning the tables, make sure we got enough clean dishes for the dinner rush." Ukyo bellowed at her waitress.

"Yes mistress Ukyo." Konatsu knew that she wasn't really mad at him; he had been suffering through her mood swings for a while now.

Konatsu had seen how depressed she had been after the wedding. He had tried to comfort her, but she had pushed him away. Over the next couple of months he had watched as she became depressed one minute, angry the next, then happy, and finally going back to depression. He hated to see his mistress suffer, but he knew there really was nothing he could do about it. When she was ready, he would be there for her, but until then he would endure her mood swings, silently.

**Tendo Dojo**

Ranma led Cologne out to the dojo; Mousse had stayed behind in the house. Ranma walked out to the middle of floor before turning his back to the Tendo family shrine and addressing Cologne.

"Alright old ghoul, spill it. What does this potion do and why didn't you want the others to know bout it?" Ranma tensed as he waited for her response.

"First let me apologize again. I know I made you a promise and I have now failed to keep it." Cologne began.

"Nah, it ain't yer fault. Y' said you weren't even there when Shampoo did this. If there is any one ta blame it'd be her." Ranma interrupted.

"Be that as it may, you can rest assured that Shampoo will be punished, not only for her disobedience, but also for her serious lack of judgment in even making this potion." Cologne guaranteed him.

"So what's this potion do any way, and is there an antidote?" Ranma wanted to get some answer.

"No there is no antidote and the potion's effects normally last for up to six months. Now before I tell you anything else I have a question for you. Do you know what an empath is?" Cologne wanted to make sure he was going to understand everything she was about to tell him.

"Huh… is that some kinda noodle dish or somethin'?" Ranma asked. He had no idea what an empath was.

"No. An empath is a person with the ability to feel other people's emotions." Cologne sighed; knowledge was wasted on the young in her opinion.

"Oh, ok. But what's that gotta do with this potion I took." Ranma was starting to get that sinking feeling in his gut again.

"I'm getting to that. I simply wanted to make sure you would understand everything I am going to tell you." Cologne told the impatient youth in front of her, she signed before continuing. "The potion you have consumed will give you the abilities of an empathic it will also turn you into a telepath as well. Tomorrow morning you will be able to feel other people's emotions and you will be able to hear their thoughts."

"Well that don't sound so bad." Ranma had thought she was going to tell him something a lot worse.

"It's worse than you think. This potion has been known to cause the affected to go insane. The problem with this potion is how it will affect you mentally. You will be able to hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of everyone, who's within a certain distance of you, all at once. The things you will experience will be very disorienting. You will be bombarded with so many different thoughts and feelings at the same time that it will be difficult for your mind to focus." Cologne somberly told him.

"Ok…?" Ranma could feel his danger alarms starting to go off again.

Cologne was getting frustrated. She knew the boy wasn't the most intelligent, but common sense should play a significant part, he was a martial artist after all. Then she had an epiphany.

"Think of it this way, you are often surrounded by people right. Whether you are going to the market or you are at school, there is always someone around you right?" Cologne figured a simpler clarification would probably be best.

"Yeah, why?" Ranma was hoping this would be a better explanation then her first one.

"Ok, so imagine all of those people are inside your head. Their thoughts and emotions pouring out of them and straight into you, and because they are in your head you can't get them to stop." Cologne could see the comprehension spreading across his face.

"Oh this is so not good. What am I gonna do?" Ranma stated as what she had been trying to tell him finally sunk in.

"The Soul of Ice training you have already had will help to suppress some of the emotions you are going to be feeling, but you must be careful using it. The Soul of Ice technique was not meant to be used for very long periods of time, you must allow yourself to feel emotions or they will become to powerful for you to handle. Any time you are alone or in a place with very few people I would suggest allowing yourself to feel emotions for a while." Cologne began. She was thankful that Ranma had already mastered one of the techniques he would need.

"Ok so I can use the Soul of Ice to stop the emotions, but what about all the thoughts I'm gonna hear." Ranma was actually grateful to the old letch at the moment. If he hadn't made Ranma weak, he never would have had to learn that technique.

"I cannot begin training you until the potion takes affect, and as I said before that will not occur until tomorrow morning. You will learn to focus so that you can either suppress all the thoughts or only listen to the thoughts you want to hear. We will need to leave the city for a while so that you will be able to concentrate properly." Cologne knew they would need to be in an unpopulated area if he was to have any chance of mastering the focus needed.

"Well that shouldn't be a problem. Mondays the start of summer break so I ain't gotta worry bout school." Ranma said.

"Good, I would like to leave as early as possible. There are less people out early in the morning so it should make it a little easier on you. It would normally take a person two to three weeks to master the focus needed, but considering your abilities to pick up new techniques it will probably take one or two weeks." Cologne did not want to bolster his ego, but she already knew of his ability to pick up on things quickly.

"Ok. I'll meet y' at the train station at 4 am. But ya still ain't told me why ya didn't want the others ta know." Ranma was still wondering about the secrecy.

"Mousse already knows, but as for the others do you really want them to know. Try to imagine what they might think about on an everyday basis and ask yourself this question. Would it be better for them to know or not to know?" Cologne was sure she already knew what his answer would be.

Ranma stood there and pondered the possibilities for a few moments. His father and Nabiki would probably try and get him to read people's minds so they could profit from it some way. He was sure Nabiki would start thinking about things that would embarrass him; she seemed to love to punish him for some reason. He would probably just hear about new recipes and stuff like that from Kasumi. Mr. Tendo, well there is no telling what might be going on in his head. Akane, well frankly he didn't know what she would do if she knew about this.

"Yeah yer probably right bout not tellin' the others." Ranma admitted honestly.

"Well then I will see you tomorrow at 4 am. Now if you don't mind I have a granddaughter to punish and a restaurant to open before the dinner rush begins. Until tomorrow then." Cologne turned and hopped away on her walking stick, leaving Ranma alone to ponder what kind of training he might be in for.


End file.
